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OPINION: We owe vets a lot more than this

By Carl J. Asszony
12:02 a.m. EDT June 4, 2014

John Moore, Getty Images
Veteran Lloyd Epps walks after doctors serviced his leg Jan. 29 at the VA hospital in Manhattan. NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 29: U.S. Military veteran and amputee Lloyd Epps walks after doctors serviced his prosthetic leg at the Veterans Administration (VA), hospital on January 29, 2014 in Manhattan, New York City. Epps, who lost his leg to an infection in 2010, wears a hightech custom prosthetic from the VA which powers his gait forward. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 466138219 ORIG FILE ID: 465783917(Photo: John Moore, Getty Images)

There is no way to gloss over the serious, and tragic nature of the Veteran’s Administration health care scandal. There are reports that more than 25 VA health care facilities across the country have been involved in “special waiting lists” and delayed appointments which may have caused the death of many as 40 veterans, and unnecessarily put others near death. There are also accusations of falsifying records, mis-diagnosing patient ailments, and destruction of documents.

Chief of the VA, Eric Shinseki said he is “mad as hell” and President Obama claims to be “madder than hell” about this situation. These make great sound bites for televison, but what about the veterans and their families who are suffering because of unscrupulous and uncaring executives and managers of those VA health care facilities? How mad should they be?

This VA debacle should not be considered just another political scandal that can be swept under the rug, or pushed off until the people finally forget. This is a problem whose solution should be devoid of politics for it affects the lives, welfare and health of the nine million veterans and their families within the VA health care system. Former President Harry Truman had a small plaque on his desk which read “The buck stops here,” yet, it seems in present day Washington the “buck” stops nowhere and no one seems to accept responsibility for their actions. It has been reported that those at the very top levels of government knew about these problems at certain facilities for many years, yet did nothing to alleviate them.

Daniel M. Dellinger, National Commander of the American Legion, along with other veteran’s organizations, want to see Secretary Shinseki fired for his “bureaucratic incompetence and failed leadership” while at the same time praising him for his military service. However, Dellinger makes it clear that the great tragedy of these events is that it “undeniably besmirches the compassionate work of thousands of dedicated VA employees and the outstanding care that many facilities provide.”

To assure New Jersey veterans of its commitment to their health care needs, and to respond to the recent VA scandal, the N.J. Veterans Health Care recently issued the following statement:

“The employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) New Jersey Health Care System care deeply for every veteran we are privileged to serve. Our goal is to provide the best quality, safe and effective health care and services our veterans have earned and deserve. Last fiscal year, we had the honor of serving almost 60,000 veterans at our two medical centers and nine community-based outpatient clinics, with close to 700,000 outpatient visits. We are committed to transparency and undergo multiple external, independent reviews every year to ensure that the care and services we provide are safe and appropriate.”

In addition, the N.J. VA Health Care System provides patient advocates who focus on individual concerns and works directly with all departments to solve personal problems or special needs. Veterans in New Jersey can contact the patient advocates by calling 1-973-676-1000 extension 3399 or 2169 at the East Orange Campus and 1-908-647-0180 extension 4762 or 4595 at the Lyons Campus. There is also the Veteran’s Advisory Council, which is composed of veterans from World War II all the way to recent conflicts. These volunteers represent various veteran’s organizations working closely with the upper levels of management and staff of the state’s VA Medical Centers to address veterans issues and help improve conditions at the medical centers. For more information call the Veterans Advisory Council at 1-908-647-0180 extension 4931 or 4495.

We won’t know the full scope of this scandal for months. Whether there will be criminal charges brought against some of the executives or managers at certain facilities in question remains to be seen. As usual there will be investigations, reports, special hearings, words of condemnation, and the mandatory political speeches, but when all the hoopla ends will the problems be resolved? That is the real issue. This not the time for false promises, feigned ignorance, pretended anger, or political games. Our veterans deserve better.

Most people don’t understand the ramifications of the VA health care scandal, or worse don’t care The fact remains, however, those who are directly involved in this scandal and the government officials who allowed it to continue have betrayed this nation and its veterans, the families of veterans, and those dedicated to helping our veterans. It seems that those in government, and many in the general population, have either forgotten, or never understood this about our military and our veterans, that “so much is owed by so many to so few.”

Carl J. Asszony of Piscataway is a member of the Veterans Advisory Council at the VA Medical Center, Lyons. NJVETERAN30@gmail.com